NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY

1971 SESSION

 

 

CHAPTER 1042

HOUSE BILL 946

 

 

AN ACT TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS TO THE STATE BOARD OF HEALTH FOR A PROGRAM TO TRAIN NURSES AS FAMILY NURSE PRACTITIONERS.

 

Whereas, a program for development of nurse practitioners will broaden and strengthen the nurse's effectiveness, both as a health systems coordinator and as a major source of the family's primary health care; and

Whereas, in this extended role, the nurse will be a synthesizer of the existing subsystems into a prospective and continuous program of health care for the family; and

Whereas, this project in health services will develop, apply and evaluate the first stage towards the fulfillment of this goal by focusing upon the education and training of the family health nurse-practitioner in the provision of health care for the infant and young child; and

Whereas, school health, maternal health, and adult health, including aging, will follow in sequential and progressive learning experiences; and

Whereas, it is the objective of this program to expand the role of the Child Health Nurse by improving (1) her interviewing skills, (2) her skills in physical appraisal, (3) her skills in appropriate techniques and interpretation of various screening procedures, (4) her skills in nursing management and intervention, (5) increasing her knowledge of common abnormalities, and (6) promoting utilization of the nurses new level of function; and

Whereas, programs to achieve the educational objectives will be offered at eight selected Baccalaureate Schools of Nursing geographically located to be within commuting distance of the nurses' home; and

Whereas, courses will be offered for 16 nurses per training sequence, on a one day per week basis for 14 consecutive weeks with each day's experience consisting of three hours of lecture and three hours of supervised practice and an additional one day educational experience to be offered every four months; Now, therefore,

 

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

 

Section 1.  In addition to all other sums appropriated, there is hereby appropriated to the State Board of Health the sum of $75,000 for the 1971-1973 biennium for the funding of a program for the education and training of family nurse practitioners to be implemented through contract with baccalaureate schools of nursing in the State.

Sec. 2.  This act shall become effective July 1, 1971.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 21st day of July, 1971.